Internal-combustion engine



Do e. 15, 1925- .565.352

J. B. ELLIS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed- April 28, 1923 2 Sheets-Shot 1 Dean 15 1925- J. B. ELLIS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed hpzfil 28, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lv w mi/Qw Zfwen on' Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED MES rJAMEs nfants, or tumm ILt'I'Nois,

itssrenoit or ONE-HALF TO CHARLES M.

BRADLEY, or HARVEY, minors.

INrERivAL OOMBU-ST'ION ENGINE.

Application fil ed April. 28, 1923. Serial No. 635,204.

T 0 all whom it may cancer-n:

Be it known that I, Jim [Es B. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Harvey, in the county of Cook and State of llllinois, have. invented a new and useful Improvement in Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the follow ing. is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines of the rotary valve type.

The main objects of this invention are to provide improved-means for sealing the valve at-theintake andexhaust poit of each cylinder during the explosion and com pressionrperiodsof the respective cylinder,

so as tonpreventothe escape of the' fuel past the valve; to provide sealing means of this type including a gland-in :the valve casing adapted to be forced agai-nstytheperiphery of the valve by thepp ressure of :thefgas in the respective 'cyli1'1c'ler, jiand to be retracted when. the pressure-in; the cylinder is relieved; ..-to provide improved means =for lubricating the valve and toq1provide ran improved arrangement offthe fuelintake passages relative tofithecylihders for ;in creasing vaporization of lthe'e-xplosive anixt'ure. 4 v

.-A-n illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown inwtheaaccoinpanying drawings, =W-herein I Figure -1 is ,a vertical ''sectiofnypartly in elevation, 0f the d-evice-asapplied to, a fourcylinder "internal combustion-"engine.

Fig-u-reQy is a gdetailwpa rtly in section, of the valve.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical. section, taken onthe line 33 of Figure 1.

.Figure 4 isvan enlarged transverse'section of the cylinder headtaken, on the line of Figure 1, and showing;theiposition of one of Fthe'depressions of the valveupon the intake stroke of the/respective piston.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the cylinder head, showing 1 the posi- :tion 'of the valvexonthe exhaust stroke. of the piston, the view. being taken on; the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse-section of the cylinder head,showingrtheiposition of the valve onfthe compression stroke of the piston, the view being taken' on'the line 6-6 of Figure 1. v

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail in section, showing. the means of communication between; the "gear housing and the oil vapor chamber.

In theiparticular form shown, the engine to which this invention is applied involves the use of a rotary valve having a series of peripheral depressions forming passages adapted, during the rotation of the valve, to successively open [communication between the inlet and exhaust ports and the respective cylinders. Arranged in the port of each cylinder, is improved sealing means adapted to be forced against the periphery of the valve by the pressure of the gas in the respective cylinder, so as to seal the valve against the escape of fuel upon the compression and explosion strokes of each piston. The valve is lubricated by improved means including a plurality ofwicks suspended in a .vapor'cha-mber which communicates with the crank caseof the engine so that the wicks are constantly saturated by the oil vapor which. rises from the crank case. 'Toincrease the vaporization of theexplosive mixture, the fuel intake passages are tortuous to provide baflies and extend through the cylinder head in close proximity to the 'walls of the explosion chambers-so as to be heated by the engine,

Referring to the drawings, the embodiment; herein shown includes -a rotary valve l ada'pted to be sealed at the cylinder ports by improved sealing means 2 and being lubricated by. a plurality of wicks 3 suspended above the valve. The improved means for increasing the vaporization ofth'e explosive. mixture includes intake passages at extending through the head of. the cylinder block.

The engine herein illustrated is of the four-cylinder type including an improved form of head 5 and block 6 in which are formed cylinders 7 having pistons 8 connected to the crank. shaft 9, vjourna-led in the crank .caselO. The head 5 vand block '6 'arexprovided with water jackets 11, as

cylinders. Formed in the upper part of the head 5, is an oil vapor chamber 16 which communicates at one end thereof with the crank case through a gear housing 17 and branch passages 18, as hereinafter described.

In the form shown, the valve 1 is cylindrical in construction and is hollow so as to provide a water passage 19 extending therethrough. The valve 1 terminates inwardly of the ends of the head 5 and gear housing 17 and serves as the only outlet for the cooling fluid in its passage from the water jackets 11 to the outlet 20, feeding back to the radiator, not shown. A valve somewhat similar in construction is shown in Patent No. 1,229,405, issued June 12, 1917, to Charles M. Bradley, assignor of one-half interest to myself. This arrangew ment of valve and water jackets permits the cooling fluid to circulate around the parts in such manner as to insure a substantially uniform temperature of the valve and valve seat. Packing glands 21 and 22 L are arranged at respectively opposite ends of 'the valve 1 to prevent leakage of the cooling fluid into the engine cylinders. Formed at the forward end of the valve 1, is a spider 23 to which is rigidly secured a stub shaft 24, which extends into the gear housing 17 through a packing gland 25 mounted on the gland 21. Formed in the periphery of the valve and arranged opposite the respective cylinders, are depressions 26 forming passages which are adapted, during the rotation of the valve, to successively open communication between the inlet and exhaust ports and the respective cylinders.

The driving mechanism for rotating the valve 1 is mounted in the housing 17 and includes a vertical shaft 27, having spiral gears 28 and 29 on opposite ends thereof, meshing respectively with a gear 30 fast of the stub shaft 24, and a gear 31 fast 011 the cam shaft 32 of the engine. The gears are of such size as will give the proper rotation of the valve relative to the crank shaft for properly opening and closing the ports.

The sealing means 2 comprise a plurality of glands, which, as illustrated, are in the form of washers arranged in the ports 15 and being loosely seated on annular shoulders 33 formed in the cylinder head 5. The washers 2 are axially movable in the ports 15, and the upper faces thereof are arcuate to form bearing surfaces 34, which are adapted to coact with the periphery of the valve 1 for preventing the escape of fuel between the valve and the cylindrical valve seat 14 upon the explosion and compression strokes. of each piston. The washers 2 are of greater diameter than the width of the passages 26 of the valve, and are arranged relative to these passages so as to extend annular space between the lower face of the washers 2 and the walls of the ports 15, which will permit the fuel under pressure in the cylinders to force the glands up wardly into contact with the valve. The peripheries of the washers 2 are sealed by films of oil received from the periphery of the valve.

In the form shown, the wicks 3 are ar ranged in sets spaced along the valve and located between adjacent ones of the depressions 26 of the valve. The wicks are of inverted U-shape and project upwardly into the oil vapor chamber 16, so as to be kept saturated by the oil vapor which enters the chamber 16 from the crank case 10. The ends of the wicks 3 extend downwardly into pockets 35 formed in the head 5. The lower parts of the pockets 35 are reduced to form shoulders 36 which prevent the wicks from coming into direct contact with the periphery of the valve. The lower reduced ends of the pockets 35 form oil passages 37 through which oil passes from the wicks to the valve.

Formed in the bottom of the oil chamber 16, is a trough 38 which is inclined downwardly and forwardly and which communicates at its lower end with the passages 18 (Fig. 7 for returning to the crank case 10 the condensed oil which is not absorbed by the wicks. Surrounding the wicks 3 are bosses 39, formed in the bottom of the chamber 16, so as to prevent any liquid oil in the trough 38 from coming into contact with the wicks. The chamber 16 is provided with a check-valve 40 to permit the escape of some of the oil vapor under pressure.

The intake passages 4 extend transversely through the head 5, in close proximity to the explosion chambers of the cylinders, so as to be heated thereby. In the construction illustrated, two of these passages are shown. The passages 4 are sinuous so that the incoming fuel is deflected several times into contact with the heated walls of the passages, thereby increasing the vaporization of the mixture. The lower end 41 of each of the intake passages 4 communicates with the intake manifold, (not shown) and the other end of each passage forms a pair of oppositely extending branch passages 42 which communicate with the intake ports 13. Formed in the head 5, is a plurality of exhaust passages 43 which provide communication between the exhaust ports 14 and the exhaust manifold of the engine, (not shown).

In operation, oil vapor from the crank case 10 rises through the gear housing 17 to lubricate the gears of the valve-operating mechanism and enters the chamber 16 through the passages 18 for saturating the wicks. When the fuel in each cylinder is under pressure, as on the compression and explosion strokes of each piston, the gland 2 in the respective cylinder is forced upwardly into contact with the periphery of the valve, so as to seal the port against the escape of fuel past the valve.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a cylinder and a crank case the latter of which is adapted to contain oil, of a valve casing having a port providing communication between said casing and cylinder, a cylindrical valve rotatably mounted in said casing and arranged to control'the opening and closing of said port, an oil vapor chamber located above said valve and communicating with said crank case, and a wick arranged in said chamber and extending through said casing to a point adjacent said valve, said casing having an oil passage leading from said wick to the periphery of said valve.

2. In an internal combustion vengine, the combination with a cylinder and a crank case the latter of which is adapted to contain oil, of a valve casing having a port providing communication between said casing and cylinder, a cylindrical valve rotatably mounted in said casing and arranged to control the opening and closing of said port, an oil vapor chamber located above said valve and communicating with said crank case, said casing having a water jacket ar ranged between said oil vapor chamber and valve, said casing having oil passages therein extending through said water jacket and leading from said chamber to the periphery of said valve, and U-shaped wicks arranged in said chamber and having their ends supported in said oil passages, the lower ends of said oil passages being reduced to form shoulders in said casing providing stops for securing the ends of said wicks against contact with said valve.

Signed at Chicago this day of April, 1923.

JAMES B. ELLIS. 

